


The Air on Monarch

by AcidNightmare



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, One Shot, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:20:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21689770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcidNightmare/pseuds/AcidNightmare
Summary: “Be honest, that’s why you wanted me specifically as your bodyguard.” The captain grinned, spinning in his chair.“Not exactly. Mercenaries on this planet are a bit a dozen, you on the other hand have a working relationship with the faction allegedly out to kill me so I’m hoping your presence would deter most of the more overt methods of assassination.”“I get it. So you don’t think they’ll send in hacked droids or pump poison in through the vents if I’m in here?”“That’s the hope. Plus, you know, I don’t entirely hate your company, which I cannot say the same for the rest of the imbeciles occupying this planet with me.”“So I take it while you’re sitting here enjoying my company you have someone scouring all your sources to get to the bottom of this, and I’m just a meat shield until then?”“I didn’t hire you for your brain and yet you’re using it anyway, I like the initiative.”
Relationships: Hiram Blythe/The Captain
Comments: 20
Kudos: 91





	The Air on Monarch

**Author's Note:**

> What? A smart, sarcastic, tsundere side character you can’t actually romance? And has canon fanfic written in game about him? Sign me the fuck up

The evening was unusually still on the Unreliable, the typical disturbances of gun shots and arguments and destruction of property quieting as the crew invariably passed out drunk or exhausted, sequestered in their own rooms. The captain was crammed into his bunk, long limbs hanging over the edge of the bed as he attempted for not the first time that night to get interested in one of the books Max had loaned him. Ferris had never particularly been the bookish type, preferring pictures and glossy pages and gossip rags when he chose to read, but Max had described the book as ‘engaging and enlightening’, all but shoving the tome in Ferris’s hands. Unfortunately Ferris wasn’t able to force himself to read further than the third page, the dry, heavy words spinning behind his eyes every time he blinked.

With a groan Ferris dropped the book to the floor, feeling around instead for the bag of chips he could have sworn he’d left there earlier.

“You have an incoming message on your computer,” ADA’s pleasant voice filtered in through the comm in Ferris’s room. “Also the bag is closer to the foot of your bed.”

Ferris sat up, reaching for the chips and resting his elbows on his knees.

“Thanks ADA, but you know you don’t have to watch just me all the time, yeah? I’m sure the other crew members would be just as fascinating to observe during down time. Like Felix. He likes company, why don’t you hang out with him for a bit?”

“As you wish.” The room was blessedly silent for a few moments before ADA’s voice spoke again.

“Crew member Felix is currently tasked with what I believe to be self-pleasure. Should I still attempt to ‘hang out’ with him?”

“No, no, fuck, no. Too much information ADA. Alright bad idea, just stay here.” ADA hummed in agreement and Ferris groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, walking over to sink in the chair at his desk, swiveling towards his desktop.

“So anyway, who’s trying to get a hold of me?”

“The message is routed from Monarch. It was sent from Hiram Blythe.”

Ferris felt his curiosity perk up at the Broker’s name. “That’s interesting coming from a man who practically shoved me out the door after saving his life. Want to take bets on what this might be about?”

“That would be unethical since I have already read the contents of the message and am fully aware of Hiram Blythe’s intentions. Also I have no use for your physical money.”

Ferris sighed, clicking into his message log. “ADA we’re going to have a long talk about privacy one of these days.”

“I do so enjoy our chats.”

Ferris skimmed the message, his brows furrowing the further down the message he read. “ADA this sounds urgent, like, life in danger again urgent.”

“That is why I thought it prudent to inform you of your incoming messages.”

Ferris leaned back in his chair, attempting to tame the wild locks of his hair with a broad palm. “Right. Thanks. I’ll be down in a minute to set a course for Monarch.”

“I’ll be waiting.” Then the comm went quiet again, Ferris left as alone as he could ever manage to be on his ship.

Ferris clicked the reply button on the message, then mulled over the empty reply box wondering how to respond. Ferris actually had plenty he wanted to say to Hiram, none of which felt appropriate in response to a message where Hiram seemed legitimately worried about his safety.

On several occasions Ferris had stayed up into the quiet of the night drafting messages to send to Hiram. They had ranged from simple hellos to several paragraphs of clumsy confessions; but each one had been ultimately deleted for seeming too familiar or too desperate or too suggestive. So there had been no interaction between them since Ferris had handed over the gunship module to the Iconoclasts and fled the planet.

So despite wanting to say more, Ferris simply typed: ‘on my way’.

After sending the message, Ferris abandoned his bag of chips and got up to root around in his storage bin for a pair of pants to pull on before leaving his room. The ship had gone quiet hours ago but Ferris had learned the hard way that Ellie was prone to bouts of insomnia that had her wandering the ship at all hours. So he’d rather not be caught with his pants down. Again.

Luckily the stairwell was empty and Ferris made it to the navigation center undisturbed. ADA was waiting, her digital face perking up as Ferris sat down heavily in the captain’s chair.

“If you input your course now we will be in orbit above Monarch in fourteen hours and twenty two minutes.” ADA said helpfully.

“Sounds perfect,” Ferris input the nav key, relinquishing control to ADA. “Do me a favor and send the crew a message that we changed course during the night. And that they can come find me in the morning if they have questions.”

“Anything you’d like, captain.”

Ferris sighed, pushing himself up from the seat. “What I’d like is to go to bed. Don’t wake me unless the ship is on fire, okay?”

“Should I wake you on the possibility of any other catastrophic dangers to the ship, or just fire?”

“Use your best judgment.”

...

Ferris’s sleep could be described as fitful at best. He’d discovered on the first night on the Unreliable that he was a couple inches too tall to fit comfortably in his bunk, so to let his feet hang over the side he was forced to sleep at an angle that left a permanent kink in his back and neck. Many nights he gave up on the bed completely, dragging his bedding onto the floor to sleep. Other nights he gave up on sleep altogether, watching serials and how-to vids for hours on end until he crawled out of his room for breakfast.

The previous night had afforded a few hours of shut eye, but Ferris was still up before the majority of the crew, morning finding him working on modifying a few upgraded guns for the crew just to keep his hands busy.

“Monarch again, cap?” Nyoka yawned loudly as she swung down into the engineering room, feet thudding heavily as she skipped the last few rungs of the ladder. “Not that I’m not oh so excited to be back home but why are we here?”

Ferris looked up from where he was bent over the workbench, tools and pieces of guns spread out before him haphazardly.

“Hiram Blythe sent me a message last night asking for my help with a personal favor; his exact words were he thinks he’s being targeted for a hostile takeover.”

“He messages you out of the blue and you just jump right up, hmm?” There was an upward lilt in Nyoka’s voice like she was hiding a smile behind the words.

Ferris frowned. “Well of course, he said he needed my help.”

Nyoka stared at Ferris for a full moment and Ferris felt his cheeks involuntarily color under her scrutiny. He managed to mumble ‘what’ before she let out a loud snort of laughter.

“First off, Hiram thinks that everyone and their mother is out to get him. Second off I thought I was just imagining things before but it is so obvious you have a fucking crush. I can’t believe I didn’t trust my own instincts, oh this is just perfect.”

She was practically cackling by the end of her accusation and Ferris crossed his arms, frown deepening.

“And what makes you think that?”

Nyoka looked unimpressed. “If you’ve forgotten already, I _was_ standing right next to you the last time we visited this hellhole, when I was forced to listen to your feeble attempts at flirting. I thought at the time it was just a quirk of your personality or that you were messing with him, but you don’t fly halfway around the solar system at the drop of a hat for someone you’re not sweet on.”

Ferris gave a last attempt at sounding impartial. “I’m just concerned about his safety, the note sounded urgent.”

Nyoka continued to give him a heavy lidded stare, features impassive as she waited him out, arms crossed.

Ferris sighed in frustration. “Fine, okay? Maybe I do. Just, you know, a little one. And I was perfectly content with just leaving things how they were, but he reached out to me first, so I just thought…” Ferris trailed off. He supposed he hadn’t thought much past that. Hiram had asked for his help and it didn’t even occur to Ferris to refuse. Although Ferris liked to think that even without the way his heart sped up when Hiram’s name was mentioned, or the sporadic dreams that caused Ferris to wake up hard and panting, he’d still offer to help because it was the right thing to do.

Nyoka gave a grin that morphed into another full body yawn. “I’m not teasing you, cap. Well I am a little. But not seriously. In fact, I can’t even blame you; he does have that sort of parasitic charm where he just manages to worm his way under your skin. Plus the man’s got great hair. But seriously, if I didn’t like him as much as I do I wouldn’t do business with him, so that should tell you something.”

“Well thanks for giving your blessing Nyoka. But when it comes down to it, I’m really just here because he needs help.”

“Of course you are.”

Ferris flipped up a friendly middle finger at her saccharine sweet sarcasm. She laughed off the gesture before continuing on. “Well you did save his life so in Hiram’s world that puts you on a pretty high pedestal from the get go. And he must think highly of you, I mean, I heard him say with my own ears that he was fond of you. That is a top tier compliment coming from Hiram.”

Ferris exhaled in laughter, absently noticing the grease that had worked its way under his fingernails and in the lines of his palms.

“Don’t go giving me hope, Nyoka. Besides, if I remember correctly he said that after I had threatened to come back in his tower after being kicked out. I don’t think compliments said under duress mean much.”

“Ha, if you think that’s true you really haven’t been on Monarch long enough.” Nyoka swung back up on the ladder, wobbling for a moment before finding her balance and starting up. Her sing-song voice floated down to him. “You never know cap, I’ve seen stranger things happen.”

Once she hit the top she leaned back over the railing, calling down to him.

“Oh yeah, so if you’re busy taking care of another one of Hiram’s crises mind if I head back to the Bay for a bit? I have a few, uh, favors to call in while I’m in town and have the chance.”

“Go ahead; I don’t know how long this’ll take so just consider this shore leave. Spread the message to the rest of the crew, would you?”

“Aye, aye captain. I’m expecting all manner of sordid details when you get back.” She gave another echoing bark of laughter before disappearing from sight.

Ferris shook his head, pushed away from the workbench, and went to wash up.

…

After landing, Ferris noticed that the inhabitants of his ship took the notion of shore leave very seriously. The entire crew had scattered to the wind, the few promised days of freedom dragging them to every corner of the wild planet. Ferris hadn’t bothered to ask the crew about their specific plans, knowing he’d be bombarded with stories once they were back in orbit. Although the fact that Ellie and Felix had immediately skipped off the Fallbrook did concern him, and Ferris would count himself lucky if he didn’t have to bail anyone out of jail in the next few days.

Ferris had packed half his arsenal in preparation for the trek up to the station and whatever he might find once he arrived there. Hiram had been scarce on details, but Ferris was inclined to think that if he was in immediate danger, his message would have reflected the direness of his emergency. Ferris had packed for all scenarios though, somewhat regretting the decision as he hiked out of the caverns, his back and legs aching under the added weight.

The dual prongs of Devil’s peak towered over Ferris as he approached the base of the station. He’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t nervous seeing Hiram again; it was a ridiculous notion at his age, but he also couldn’t deny the lazy churning deep in his gut as he pushed the button for the intercom at the entrance.

Hiram spoke a quick acknowledgement through the comm before appearing at the door several minutes later. Ferris couldn’t help himself from checking the other man out as he turned to lead Ferris back upstairs, the door shutting heavily behind them.

“Good to see you.” Ferris threw out tentatively, his voice echoing up the stairwell.

Hiram gave Ferris a look over his shoulder and answered with a noncommittal hum as he continued up the steps.

Once Hiram led him up to the main office, probably the most spacious room in the tower, Ferris shrugged off his pack and rolled his shoulders, dropping the heavy bag with a thud to the floor. Hiram turned to face Ferris, watching for a moment as he kneaded some feeling back into his traps.

“Alright,” Ferris tried again. “So where am I going? Who needs to be eliminated?”

Hiram made a face. “Eliminated? No, I didn’t ask you here to be my hitman. And you’re not going anywhere. I’m putting the station on lock-down so you can’t leave until this is resolved.”

“Okay?” Ferris dragged out the vowels as he answered, confusion plain in his voice. “I think I’m missing a vital piece of information here. I thought I was killing whoever was planning this take-over or invasion or whatever. Are you setting a trap here or something?”

Hiram sighed, condescending like he was talking to a child. “Well hopefully it won’t come to all that. Sorry if I didn’t make it clear in my message, but I need you to be my bodyguard for a few days here in the tower.”

The idea piqued Ferris’s interest in more than one way, but he felt a little bit vindictive being talked down to after rushing to help, so Ferris pursed his lips and stalled a bit instead of pulling his usual tactic of instantly agreeing to any and all work offered to him.

“You know I’m pretty busy these days captaining my ship, running errands that save whole colonies... What makes you think I have the time to take a job as your personal bodyguard? I was under the impression you were under attack and needed someone to just come kick some ass for you.”

“Strictly a captain now, hmm? That’s funny because in the time I’ve known you I’ve seen you be a gun for hire, a messenger, a delivery boy, and a fucking sprat wrangler. That leaves me to believe that as long as I’m paying you, you’ll be more than willing to add bodyguard to your long, undoubtedly impressive résumé of skills.”

Ferris mock scowled at Hiram’s sarcasm before a broad grin broke his facade.

“Got me there. I’m hired. What exactly do you need me to do? Other than take a bullet for you I suppose.”

“Well hopefully things won’t go that far. I’ve updated my security system since the last break-in to involve much more plasma and security droids, and to tell the truth my curiosity has me actually wanting a trespasser to test his luck just to see what happens. Otherwise as of right now I just require your presence 24/7 in this tower until I uncover the truth behind this rumor.”

“This sounds suspiciously easy.”

Hiram sighed, giving Ferris an unimpressed look. “You have trust issues. It will only take a few days to get to the bottom of this. During that time I just need you to keep me alive and do your best not to annoy me.”

“I knew there was a catch. I should really start reading the fine print on these contracts I take.”

Hiram groaned. “I should have known. Just don’t touch anything that looks expensive.” He then retreated up the stairs to the broadcast room to work, leaving Ferris alone with the mechanical droids in the office.

…

A couple hours later Hiram rejoined Ferris, pulling some fizzy drink from the fridge before sitting down at one of the computer terminals. Ferris was sitting at a desk close by, sorting ammo and organizing the collection of weapons he’d brought with him.

Hiram watched curiously for a few moments as Ferris repacked several boxes of ammo, and then turned back to the computer console, unscrewing the cap of his drink as he booted up the machine.

It seemed that if Ferris wanted to talk he’d have to start it himself. “So what exactly was in this message you received? Seemed to shake you up a bit if you’re willingly turning to me for help again.”

Hiram looked up, blinking in surprise, before waving Ferris over to his computer and pulling up a text file after several screens of password protected security. Ferris leaned over, looking over his shoulder to see the short, degraded message. It was barely legible, letters and entire words missing or replaced with nonsensical text.

“Parts of the message are corrupted; it was forwarded in a hurry and the person who discovered it wasn’t able to recover the original file. It was encoded and with what code was sent with the file I was only able to decipher parts of the message.” He clicked out of the note, spinning to face Ferris. “The gist of it though is that several unnamed members of the Iconoclasts drafted a plan which boiled down to kill me, take my tower and use it to spread their ridiculous message. Makes sense since the other broadcasting and communication equipment on this planet is rudimentary compared to mine. It’s not a well thought out plan, but it’s enough to make me concerned. And fucking pissed off.”

“And who found it?”

“One of my agents among the Iconoclasts. They stumbled upon it during a routine search for classified and sensitive information in the Iconoclast computer archives.”

Ferris looked surprised. “That sounds to me like you have spies in the Iconoclasts. I didn’t expect that.”

Hiram shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. “I wouldn’t use the word spies, exactly, I think of them as informants.”

Ferris opened his mouth to argue semantics, but Hiram continued on uninterrupted.

“They’re real members of the faction who simply slip me information for a price. And since I’m not using the information to supplant Graham or take down the Iconoclasts from the inside or anything unthinkable like that, there’s no reason not to sell the less incriminating info to me. It’s a useful system; an easy way to make bits for my agent and an easy way for me to keep my hands clean by not needing to dig up the info myself.”

Ferris hummed, impressed. “So I assume you had these agents among MSI as well?”

Hiram looked smug, nodding before he even answered.

“You’re thinking on too small a scale. I have agents in every faction of importance on every habitable planet in this solar system. It’s taken years to set up this network but finally all the pieces are falling into place.” Then his expression soured as he folded his arms in frustration. “Which is why even though it’s expected now that it’s complete to have those idiots gunning for my life to take over what I’ve built, it’s still infuriating. Everyone on this damn planet has a vision but no one wants to put in the work or bits to achieve it.”

“You’re really passionate about this.”

Hiram looked up, brows cocked in surprise. “Of course, this is my life’s work. Plus it’d be a waste if I died and someone else tried to use my equipment or network. They’d never be able to bring out its full potential like I can.”

Ferris smiled down, resting his hand on the back of Hiram’s chair. “Well no worries about that since I’m here to protect you. No dying on my watch.”

“That’s reassuring.” And Ferris was sure there was meant to be a bite of sarcasm in the words, but Hiram’s voice was oddly soft and it came out sincere instead.

“So why do you think this will only take a couple days to resolve?”

“My informant just needs to locate the last bit of code in the archive. Unfortunately for me for as predictable and reckless as the Iconoclasts act in the real world, when it comes to covering their tracks in their archives they are unusually savvy. All files are triple coded and they’re smart enough not to use real names and disguised dates and references. Smart, but no match for me as long as I have the separate codes to decipher it with.”

Ferris nodded along. He usually left the computer hacking and know-how to Max and Parvati out in the field, but after observing their (usually successful) attempts he wasn’t completely ignorant to what Hiram was referring to.

“So what happens when you recover this code?”

“I finish interpreting the message and do one of two things. Either it’s a mistake or mistranslation and they pose me no danger, so I let the situation go and just keep a closer eye on the Iconoclasts.”

“And the other option?”

“They are actively plotting against me and I pay you enough bits to be willing to go scorched earth on every single one of the bastards.”

Ferris laughed in surprise. “Fair enough. And that is what I’m good at.”

Hiram had the decency to look surprised. “It wouldn’t bother you if I potentially hired you to take out Iconoclasts even though you’re on friendly terms with them?”

Ferris shrugged. “I wouldn’t like it, but you’re a neutral party here. It’s one thing to have a civil war between MSI and the Iconoclasts, but it’s another to spread out and hurt innocents.” Ferris made a face, trying to hide a smirk. “Even if the innocent is the furthest thing from the word.”

“Haha.” Hiram scrunched his nose, unimpressed. “Well nonetheless I do appreciate you having my back. You have integrity. It’s like a breath of fresh air.”

“I didn’t think you got fresh air on Monarch.”

“Seems to be rare.” Hiram answered softly, giving Ferris a long look before he stood from the console. “Thanks for the illuminating talk, but I should get back to work.”

Hiram left Ferris alone again, ascending the stairs to continue doing… Ferris had no clue. Now that he knew Hiram used proxies to track down his information he speculated which way his information service worked. Whether he got the request for certain info first and passed along where it might be found to his informants, or if he simply collected as much useful information as possible and touted the more damning information to interested buyers. If that was the case he wondered if Hiram simply spent his time sifting through and deciphering the numerous files sent looking for anything valuable among the mundane.

If that was the case it seemed horrendously boring and tedious to Ferris and he much preferred his own way of earning a living, even if he did occasionally benefit from Hiram’s business. Ferris finished packing away his weapons and ammo, zipping up the bag and stowing it next to the wall. Then he was on the hunt for something to do to pass the time.

…

When Hiram finally descended from the broadcast room at the end of the day, he found Ferris sprawled out on the floor of the office, dismantled pieces of a junk radio spread out on a cloth in front of him. Ferris acknowledged Hiram with a nod before rewinding a thin filament of wire around two components and fitting the pieces easily back into the frame of the radio.

Hiram stopped and watched for a moment before he pulled two bottle of wine from the fridge, setting one on the floor next to Ferris’s lap and keeping the second for himself as he collapsed in a rolling chair a few feet away.

“Think you can get that working again?”

“Well even if I can’t it would just be going from mildly broken to horribly broken, so no harm done.” Ferris tilted his head up to grin and wink at Hiram before turning back to his work and fitting a few more pieces back together.

Hiram hummed in agreement before taking a long drink straight from the bottle. “Which do you enjoy, taking it apart or putting it back together?”

“Back together. Wouldn’t have been very good at my job otherwise.”

“Is that so? What did you used to do before falling into the lucrative profession of replacement ship captain slash mad scientist assistant?”

“On Earth I was a repairman. Glamorous, I know. I’d fix computers, elevators, screens, cars, anything really. I’ve always been good with my hands. Truth is I didn’t grow up with much so it was kind of drilled into me early that it was important to make things last. So it was a good skill to develop. It’s certainly helped out here where it seems everywhere I look something else is falling apart.”

They sat together in a comfortable silence; Hiram watching and drinking as Ferris slowly rebuilt the radio, fingers deft and dexterous in stark comparison to the rest of Ferris: too tall, too broad, and bulky with muscle.

When Ferris fit the last piece into place he turned the little radio right-side up, flipping it on. Static crackled over the speaker until Ferris tuned it, the radio catching a pre-recorded broadcast from Graham. Ferris switched it off, offering the radio up to Hiram, who took it, a slight smile curving his lips.

“Impressive. Personally I never had a knack for repairs; I’ve always had an engineer on payroll to help keep this place running since I began my work here. You might have noticed things are steady at the moment but I’m one big disaster away from this place going up in smoke until I find a new crew I trust.”

Ferris folded up the dirtied cloth and then looked up at Hiram from where he was still sitting cross legged on the floor. “I’m here anyway; if you have any machines you need serviced I don’t mind. It’ll keep me busy while you’re working during the day.”

“That’s…Thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

“Oh yeah, no problem, as long as there are diagrams in the instruction manuals I should be able to wing it.”

“I changed my mind, stay away from everything plugged into the walls.”

Ferris couldn’t help but laugh in response, pushing himself up from the floor. He washed the grease and dust from his hands in the sink before joining Hiram again, dropping down onto one of the other rolling chairs. He picked the unopened bottle of wine off the floor, popping the top and draining half to catch up to Hiram’s head start.

“So,” Hiram began at a distance, taking another long drink. He was obviously still unused to the idea of entertaining for extended periods of time, so he let the hum of the station fill the quiet for the most part, but it seemed he was warming up to Ferris’s company, asking questions when the silence between them stretched out unbearably long. “You asked about mine, so I suppose it’s only fair to return the favor. How’d you get your scar?”

Ferris’s fingers subconsciously drifted to the deep prominent scar that twisted over his cheek and the bridge of his nose. For nine years it had been Ferris’s most defining feature and had colored most first impressions and interactions he’d had with people. During many conversations he’d seen eyes drift to it, either intimidated or silently judging; to Hiram’s credit this was the first time he’d mentioned it, sounding simply curious.

“Would you be surprised if I said I got it during a bar fight?”

“Wow, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt but that is painfully cliché.”

“Shut up,” Ferris laughed, taking another swig of his own bottle. “I’ll have you know I was an innocent bystander. Honestly.”

Hiram cocked an interested brow. “So what happened?”

“Was at the bar with some friends. I had turned legal only a few weeks earlier. I was waiting for the round I’d bought when a couple guys got into it behind me. I heard glass break so I turned to see the commotion and one of the guys got me with a broken bottle. Wasn’t even aiming for me, he was just drunk and off balance. It took almost fifty stitches to close my face back up and I’ve looked this way ever since.”

“That’s…awful. You were so young.”

“Wasn’t all bad, it’s certainly helped get me a couple jobs on account of looking mean as fuck.” Ferris shrugged, he’d always tried to make light of his disfigurement instead of dwelling on it.

“You do cut a rather imposing figure.” Hiram agreed, raking his eyes over Ferris, lingering a touch too long on where his jacket clung tight to the muscle of his arms.

“Be honest, that’s why you wanted me specifically as your bodyguard.” Ferris grinned, spinning in his chair.

“Not exactly. Mercenaries on this planet are a bit a dozen, you on the other hand have a working relationship with the faction allegedly out to kill me so I’m hoping your presence would deter most of the more overt methods of assassination.”

“I get it. So you don’t think they’ll send in hacked droids or pump poison in through the vents if I’m in here?”

“That’s the hope. Plus, you know, I don’t entirely hate your company, which I cannot say the same for the rest of the imbeciles occupying this planet with me.”

“That is high praise.” Ferris laughed to himself, the more time he spent with Hiram slowly honed his ability to read between the lines of sarcasm and bullshit to uncover compliments hiding underneath. “So I take it while you’re sitting here enjoying my company you have someone scouring all your sources to get to the bottom of this, and I’m just a meat shield until then?”

“I didn’t hire you for your brain and yet you’re using it anyway, I like the initiative.”

Ferris flipped up his middle finger as he took another long drink of his bottle.

“Well,” Hiram said suddenly. “It has been an annoying long day, so I think I’m going to call it a night. Make yourself comfortable wherever. Since I haven’t hired any new crew yet you have run of the place. So there are plenty of places to sleep if you don’t mind borrowing from the dead.”

“Never bothered me before.” Ferris answered, watching as Hiram stood and stretched, the fabric of his jumpsuit pulling and tightening against his groin and chest. Ferris felt warmth pool deep in his guts and busied himself with another drink, averting his gaze.

“Well goodnight.” Then Hiram plucked the mostly empty bottle from the table and retreated to his room. Ferris drank and stretched, searching the room until he spotted a cot forgotten in a corner and figured it would make do. He drained the last of the bottle and stripped off his jacket and boots before falling face down on the thin mattress, his feet predictably hanging off the edge.

Thinking back on the day he supposed it wasn’t the worst way to begin his short stint as bodyguard; in fact he’d enjoyed the entire latter half of the day spent in Hiram’s company. It left a stinging void buried deep in his chest though, as he could see himself easily getting used to spending his days that way with Hiram, talking and arguing and drinking together at dusk. It was a dangerous line of thought when he was being pulled in so many different directions in hopes of saving his fellow colonists as well as the colony itself. Sometimes with all that weight on his shoulders Ferris felt so overwhelmed he could scream, the fear of letting down so many people stealing his sleep and his sanity. He’d never been in a position where so many people relied on him and it had left a cold thread of anxiety constantly coiling tighter around his insides.

It was too much to dwell on for one night and Ferris buried his head further into his pillow, letting the constant hum of the surrounding machines lull him into uneasy sleep.

…

Ferris awoke to the smell of breakfast being cooked; something sizzled in a pan and smelled rich and fatty and surprisingly good, unlike the smoke and charcoal smell that permeated the Unreliable when Felix decided to try his hand at family breakfast.

Ferris’s stomach growled in hunger as he clumsily rolled out of bed, counting on Hiram being sensible enough to cook for two.

“Don’t let it be said I don’t treat my guests well.” Hiram called over in Ferris’s direction as he set down two heaping plates at the table and settled in to eat.

“You have guests other than me?” Ferris joked as he stood and stretched, wrinkled shirt riding up his stomach.

“No. So appreciate that I’ve gone above and beyond.” Hiram deadpanned, shoving a spoonful of something unidentifiable in his mouth. Despite the aroma, the food still looked suspect, but Ferris had learned from his first days traversing the Emerald Vale that it was best not to question exactly what the food was and just put it in your mouth and swallow.

“Well thanks then, smells great.” Ferris joined him and dug in, the food surprising him by being pleasantly good.

Their quiet meal was soon broken by Ferris; compared to the constant chatter and arguments on the Unreliable, it was almost strange to be in a place where hours stretched by in silence. Ferris would be lying if he said he didn’t miss the idle talk. Ferris would also be lying if he said he didn’t try to get Hiram to talk because he liked the sound of his voice.

“So have you always lived on Monarch?”

Hiram shook his head. “Moved here when I was a teenager. My parents were scientists and were sent here as part of the team determining why the terraforming went so wrong and if there any way to undo or fix what had been done. At that point the Board was still trying to cover its ass and not lose all the time and energy and money they’d poured into this place. I can still remember walking off the ship and just being assaulted with the smell of sulfur. My mother had tears in her eyes before we even set foot on the planet, but to my parent’s credit they made the best of this place and never complained."

“Hmm, I wonder where you got that personality trait from, then. Ow.” Ferris mumbled under his breath as Hiram stepped on his toes.

“Very funny. Anyway, their work was never successful. After years of no results they were called back for a different project, something big and classified. Never found out what though because they never made it to Terra-2, they were in Amber Heights waiting for a ship when the massacre happened.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. How did you avoid the massacre if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I was living on my own, working in the cannery. Unfortunately I didn’t inherit my parent’s scientific prowess so it was one of the only decent ways to make bits on this planet.”

“I really can’t imagine that.” Ferris said, surprised.

“Well I quit the day I received the news about my parents. I had a lot of anger then, at the Board, at this planet. I was a staunch supporter of the rebellions then. Well up until we were cut off from all outside communications. So I’m sure you can deduce why I created this place and why it’s so important.”

“I can. Didn’t know I was getting breakfast and a history lesson this morning. I’ve read quite a few messages and notes that mention what happened here, but it’s much more significant hearing from someone who lived through it.”

“Well it’s nice you don’t find me boring.”

“Not at all.” Ferris gave Hiram a bright smile, looking ridiculous with his bed hair and slept in clothes.

Hiram shook his head, gaze falling to the dirty dishes between them. “So what about you? Family? Anyone important on the Hope?”

“Nah, when I left it was just my dad. He thought he was too old to start over on another planet, but thought it was a good opportunity, nonetheless. I left with his blessings. But it feels bad to know he probably died thinking I was dead or drifting through space for eternity.”

Hiram nodded, giving Ferris a few moments of deferential silence. “It must be difficult. Sometimes I forget you’re originally from Earth and you’ve spent the last seventy years on ice.”

“It’s not all bad; I mean, I don’t look too awful for a one hundred year old, huh?” Ferris laughed as Hiram predictably scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“You’re ridiculous.” Hiram stood and cleared their dishes, setting them in the sink to deal with later. “I’ll be back down later, try not to break anything while I’m gone.”

…

When Hiram descended the stairs to the office daylight had already slipped into the early evening hours. He’d skipped lunch and Ferris hadn’t seen him since parting after breakfast. Ferris wondered idly if that made him a shitty bodyguard to have the body he was supposed to be guarding absent all day, but Hiram wasn’t complaining so Ferris didn’t press the issue.

Ferris was lounging in one of the rolling chairs, feet kicked up on a desk as he read. He’d found a pile of old horror magazines hidden under one of the downstairs cots, presumably left by one of Hiram’s late crew. The short stories didn’t hold a candle to some of the real life terrors he’d come across on his travels, but had held his interest for the majority of the afternoon as he sipped wine and relaxed.

Hiram didn’t say anything as he pulled a bottle of wine from the cabinet, once again drinking straight from the bottle as he settled on a chair across the room. Ferris had grown use to the bouts of silence, but Hiram seemed to be actively pissed about something, a dark cloud hanging over his head.

“Something wrong?” Ferris ventured, looking at Hiram over the pages of his magazine as he scowled back, taking another long drink.

“You mean other than constantly worrying about my life and livelihood?”

“I meant specifically. Like right now.”

Hiram sighed heavily. “My informant wasn’t able to locate or access the right code today. She said she thought she was close, but that she was caught. Lying kept her from being found out and made, but it’s obvious her superiors are getting suspicious. She said she’ll try once more late tonight, but can’t compromise herself to get the information.”

Ferris put down his magazine and his feet, spinning to face Hiram. “So what happens if she can’t get the info?”

“I guess I move to plan B.”

“Which is?”

“Which is where I suppose I ask you to find the info yourself and skip the middleman. But that leaves me out here relying on droids to keep this place secure.” Hiram shook his head, mumbling to himself. “Damn it. Fucking Graham. Can’t leave well enough alone.”

“Hey it’s all right.” Ferris stood, approaching Hiram slowly. “I’m not going anywhere. I promised to keep you safe.”

Hiram looked up, brows furrowed and eyes darkened. “Easy to say until Graham points that ultra-weapon at us and demands surrender. In that case what choice would I have? What if he decides if he can’t have this place, no one can?” Hiram sighed in frustration, giving Ferris another dark look. “Why did you decide to even give him the module anyway? I feel like I warned you that Graham was a ticking time bomb liable to take us all out along with himself; you know you handed him free reign over this planet, don’t you?”

Ferris thought by now that he was used to the permeating aura of annoyance that colored every one of Hiram’s interactions, but this time it sounded like blame and anger threading through his words instead. And Ferris accepted that, knew the truth that he was at blame for Hiram’s current troubles.

Ferris shrugged a shoulder, feigning ignorance.

“I don’t know.” He offered, watching as Hiram sighed and rolled his eyes in response.

“How reassuring, hand the most dangerous weapon on this Law-forsaken planet over to a madman, and why? Who knows? Certainly not the man who did it.”

“Alright, fine,” Ferris was tired of being berated, ever since being unfrozen he’d been forced into making decisions he was nowhere near qualified enough to make; and each choice weighed heavily on his conscience, especially as the unending list of consequences rolled down to rest heavily at his feet.

“You want the truth? Every planet I’ve been to so far has been cannibalized by the Board. Including this one. And despite the lies about this place and the Board doing everything it can to strangle you, you’re all out here surviving. And I respect that. You know MSI wanted to return to the Board. They had some convoluted plan with documents and blackmail that I didn’t really understand, but at the time I thought that the Board's not the kind of system you can change from the inside unless you have a bomb strapped to you. I guess I just thought the Iconoclasts would keep everyone out here free for a little bit longer, but I get it, wrong decision, like usual.” Ferris sighed and buried his face in his hands, his conscious eddied by waves of regret. “I’m so tired of my decisions fucking things up for everybody. I didn’t want those guys from MSI to die and I don’t want you to be in danger because of something I did.”

Hiram looked up, amber eyes a little shaken. Then he exhaled deeply, the frustration draining from him. “No you’re…it’s not your fault. I apologize; once again I’m letting my famously approachable personality speak for me.” He sighed again, his fingers restlessly peeling at the label of his mostly empty wine bottle. “I’m just frustrated and taking it out on you. And it’s shitty for me to do that because you really do just want to go to these planets and do what’s best for the people there, don’t you? And even if it doesn’t always work out at least you’re attempting to fix the status quo. That’s more than most people can say. You trying to do your best for people, me included, that’s… humbling.”

“Even though I usually end up making things worse.” Ferris mourned, thinking about the destroyed and abandoned botanical garden near Edgewater and Sanjar and countless MSI soldiers mowed down by Iconoclast forces. “I really do just want to help people. You’re not so heartless that you can’t understand that. Like when you helped Phineas by finding the information he needed.”

“That was for the bits. You might not be, but everyone else on this planet is incredibly selfish.”

“I don’t believe you. You could have turned your information about him over to the Board for a hell of a lot more bits but you didn’t. Maybe because underneath all the sarcasm you’re a fucking good guy.”

“Hey don’t turn this conversation around on me.” Hiram tipped back his head for another drink. “Ugh enough, you’re beginning to sound like an after school special. I do have a reputation to maintain here.” But Hiram had a half hidden smile turning up the corner of his lips and Ferris thought it made Hiram look incredibly approachable despite his every attempt to remain otherwise.

“The more time I’m here the more I question that reputation.” Ferris murmured, taking another drink to occupy his fingers.

Hiram took a moment to look plainly at Ferris before he relaxed. “You’re certainly not like anyone else around here, are you? I suppose that’s one of the reasons I’ve grown so fond of you.”

“Lucky me.” Ferris gave a shaky little smile, sitting back in his chair as the contentious air between them finally dissipated.

“Quit it, I already told you there’s not room enough for two sarcastic bastards in this tower.” Hiram demanded as he finally ditched the empty bottle, cracking open a new one in its place.

“Good thing I was being serious then.”

Hiram shot Ferris a look, eyebrow raised and an unidentifiable look swimming in his gaze as he searched for the lie. He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it, taking a long pull of wine instead. Hiram then sighed. “After all that I think I’m done for the day. Get drunk with me.”

Ferris held up and sloshed his own bottle of wine, giving Hiram a look of confusion. “What do you call what we’re doing?”

“Pre-game.” Hiram answered as he dug in one of the cupboards and fished out a bottle of vodka and two cracked tumblers. He poured a healthy dose in each glass before handing Ferris one. “And here is the main event.”

Their fingers brushed as the glass changed hands, and Ferris wasn’t sure if it was his fault or not or if it was on purpose or not. He brought the glass to his lips before he had a chance to question it.

Hiram drained half his glass with the first swallow, making a face and shaking his head as the alcohol burned down his throat.

“Fucking swill. No matter how many times I drink it, it never gets easier. I would pay good money for some nice vodka from Byzantine, but they would never send anything of quality to this backwater planet.”

Ferris tipped back his drink, forcing himself to quickly swallow down his glassful and swiping at his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Well, Byzantine happens to be next on my list of places to visit. I could always bring some back for you.”

“And what makes you think I want you coming back here again?” And Ferris could see right through the words, his heart beating faster because it felt like flirting, felt like Hiram was hinting at something as he stared at Ferris with heavy lidded eyes, his fingertips circling the rim of his glass slowly.

“I think if I showed up with a smuggled bag of Spectrum Red you’d let me in.”

Hiram laughed despite himself, his voice low and rich. “That would be difficult to say no to.”

Something in the air between them tightened, like a wire pulling taut and ready to snap. Ferris had been doing his best to downplay his attraction to Hiram, but the time they had spent together so far had an easiness to it that Ferris hadn’t expected. It didn’t help that every time Ferris tried to sneak a covert look his way, Hiram’s gaze was already on him.

Hiram poured another two shots, the vodka bottle clinking against the rim of the glass still in Ferris’s hand. Hiram set down the bottle, and clinked together their tumblers, although he neglected to make a toast before tossing back the alcohol in a single swallow. Ferris watched Hiram’s throat work down the vodka, his mind unhelpfully filling in the blank of what else he wanted to watch Hiram swallow.

“Much better.” Hiram said before filling their glasses from the half empty wine bottle and leaning against a desk, facing Ferris.

And maybe Ferris was feeling the warmth from the alcohol, his thoughts swimming aimlessly in his head. It was hard to look at Hiram and not see the soft curve of his neck, the way he tossed his hair carelessly when dark strands fell over his eyes, and the way those eyes burned bright amber even as the room darkened as dusk fell.

Ferris wanted and it was harder and harder not to admit it, especially as his inhibitions washed away each time he sent another mouthful of alcohol burning down his throat.

So Ferris turned back to conversation as a distraction, pointedly not looking when Hiram unzipped his jumpsuit down to his waist, revealing the white undershirt clinging tight across his chest.

“So does it ever get lonely out here by yourself?” Ferris blurted out the first thought that materialized in his hazy brain, groaning internally at his vague understanding of the word subtle. “I mean I just wouldn’t think voices over the radio could replace the company of a person in the flesh.”

Hiram took another drink, taking his time swallowing and mulling over his answer.

“I suppose I’ve always just done my best work on my own uninterrupted. Which works best for everyone since by now you should be well aware my personality doesn’t easily endear me to others.” Hiram gave Ferris another once over, dark eyes glazed, heavy and wanting, bottom lip pulled between his teeth. Ferris didn’t think he misunderstood the look. “And if you meant something else, well you should know how it is, didn’t you say yourself you’re good with your hands? Perhaps I am too if that’s what you were alluding to.”

Ferris felt a tight spiral of warmth curl at the base of his spine at the one-two punch of Hiram’s words and those fucking poured honey bedroom eyes and without a second thought he moved into Hiram’s space, fingers gripping his chin, thumb pressed hard against the curve of his bottom lip. The air between them seemed to crackle, growing warm and heavy like the calm before a storm.

“The fucking mouth on you.” Ferris mumbled, swaying dangerously close to doing or saying something he couldn’t take back. His grey eyes were locked on Hiram’s mouth, just waiting for him to spit the next scathing comment out.

Instead Hiram swallowed nervously, his breath hot against Ferris’ thumb when he whispered: “It’s good for more than just talking.”

Ferris’ mouth went dry at that comment, his blood burning like acid as it rushed through his veins.

“Do you know what you’re doing saying something like that?” Ferris’s voice was low and dangerous, his fingers slowly sliding down Hiram’s jaw and neck, feeling the hot pulse beneath his fingertips before finally coming to a halt at the hard shelf of his collarbones, soft skin indented beneath his touch.

“What’s wrong, did it rile you up?” And Hiram was trying to be nonchalant, but Ferris could feel the way his heart was pounding beneath his palm and knew Hiram was just as affected as he was.

And finally that wire pulled impossibly tight between them snapped. Ferris made a split second decision, dropping his hands to grip the fabric of Hiram’s jumpsuit and pulling their hips together roughly.

“Does this feel like I’m riled up?” Ferris hissed, crowding Hiram between his body and the desk, its edge digging deep into the back of his thighs. There was no mistaking the hard line of his cock as Ferris ground against Hiram, his interest and intentions as plain as the scar gouged across his face.

“You’re a fucking beast,” Hiram breathed, a little scandalized, before he flung his arms around Ferris’s shoulders, pulling Ferris down close to crash their lips together, a soft moan rumbling low in his throat.

Ferris’s hands slid to Hiram’s ass, hiking him up to sit on the desk while wedging himself between his thighs, Hiram’s long legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

Ferris kissed until his lungs burned, then kissed more, liking the way Hiram’s lips felt under his, soft and pliant and parting eagerly when Ferris slipped his tongue inside to taste. He buried his fingers in Hiram’s hair, finally getting to touch those dark silky locks, and felt his stomach flip at the broken sound Hiram made when he tugged, tipping him further back against the table.

When Hiram broke away for a gasp of air Ferris trailed a path of kisses along Hiram’s cheek up to his ear. His breath was hot against the lobe and when he spoke Hiram’s legs tightened around him again, a tremor running down his spine.

“And here I thought you didn’t like me.”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Hiram began, but the words degraded into a whimper as Ferris’s hands dropped from their grip in his hair to slide into his jumpsuit, pushing up the undershirt so his fingers could spread wide and heavy over the expanse of bared skin.

“You can’t even deny it, you want me,” and Hiram couldn’t control his gasp as Ferris’s hand brushed over the straining bulge of his cock in the space between them. His hips instinctively tilted up in search of friction but Ferris’s hand simply skimmed across his clothes as it moved back up to cradle his waist. “And I want you so fucking bad.”

Ferris pulled Hiram almost completely off the desk, holding up his weight easily as he ground their bodies together, his tongue forceful as he licked into Hiram’s mouth again, hot and soft and tasting like wine.

Breaking apart with a moan, Ferris pulled back enough to look into Hiram’s eyes, and with a little awe he wondered if in his life he’d ever seen anyone look as alluring as Hiram looked in that moment with his kiss bruised lips and dark tousled hair.

“So may I suggest you take us to your bed unless you want me to fuck you up against all this expensive looking equipment?”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Hiram breathed, but the way his eyelids grew heavy and the subtle bite of lip between teeth gave Ferris the impression this wasn’t the first time the idea had occurred to him. He filed the information away for the future as he trailed nipping kisses down the column of Hiram’s neck.

“Of course I would, I’d bend you right over the main console. Flip some switches and the whole planet would hear how hard I fucked you.” Ferris leaned in, whispering directly in his ear. “Maybe they’d even hear you begging for it.”

“Fuck,” Hiram groaned, his eyes shut tight, and his breathing heavy. His fingers gripped the slope of Ferris’s shoulders hard enough to bruise as he fought to regain control of himself. “This way, you brute.”

Ferris lowered Hiram to the floor, stepping back to let him take the lead. He was pleasantly surprised to feel Hiram link their fingers before pushing roughly past Ferris and tugging him in the direction of his bedroom.

Hiram brought him to the last room in the tower Ferris hadn’t explored, a small room simple and Spartan, with a bed, desk, and nightstands arranged neatly around the perimeter. An overflowing bookshelf propped against a corner, and a display case filled with various knick-knacks that had caught Hiram’s interest were the only personal touches in the room. Ferris didn’t get the chance to look closer before Hiram tugged him down next to him on his bed, sitting side by side on the narrow mattress.

Ferris felt the warmth at his shoulder and thigh where Hiram’s body was pressed close. Hiram hadn’t unlinked their hands yet so Ferris stroked his palm with his thumb, Hiram’s skin velvet soft in comparison to Ferris’s callused grip.

“Take this off.” Hiram’s free hand reached out for Ferris’s jacket, tugging on the aged leather. “And this.” He continued softly, hand sliding down Ferris’s thigh.

Ferris didn’t need to be asked twice, stripping quickly under Hiram’s gaze, clothes forgotten in a heap on the floor. When he stood to unbuckle his belt and shove his pants to the floor, Hiram had already shimmied out of his jumpsuit and undershirt, leaving himself only in tight shorts as he leaned back on his elbows, lean body stretched out on his bed.

Ferris took a moment to commit the view to memory, hand subconsciously drifting to palm his cock as Ferris’s eyes roamed over his body. Hiram was smaller than Ferris by a fair amount; several inches shorter and slimmer because Hiram seemed to be the type to habitually skip meals when engrossed in his work. He was still corded with lean muscle under his tan skin and Ferris appreciated the subtle definition.

“What’s wrong?” Hiram’s question was low and tentative, almost unsure.

“Nothing. You’re just beautiful.”

Hiram’s cheeks grew uncomfortably hot and he reached out, fingers scrabbling for Ferris, his thighs spreading to make room for him, the invitation far past the point of being subtle.

Ferris sunk to his knees on the bed, curving his body over Hiram’s. Held up by his forearms he kissed Hiram over and over again, his mouth marking his claim over tender skin and his cock pressed to the curve of Hiram’s ass as he shamelessly ground against him.

“Fuck, this is how I want you.” Ferris punctuated the thought with a hard rut against Hiram’s ass, his cock straining painfully against the tight fabric of his shorts.

Hiram arched against him, his fingers creeping beneath Ferris’s waistband, slowly inching the fabric down. “Then what are you waiting for?” Hiram’s voice was low and needy and it made Ferris’s insides writhe and burn in anticipation.

It didn’t take long for Ferris to prepare Hiram, fingers slick from some half empty tube of Auntie Cleo’s bullshit. Hiram’s back arched stiffly and his heels pressed heavy against the mattress as Ferris spread and curled his fingers and Hiram’s voice begged for more the further he pressed, although he would never admit to the pleas and whines that crossed his lips at Ferris’s touch.

“Enough,” Hiram finally pleaded, breathless. “I need… Just fuck me.”

And Ferris did as he was asked, lining up his cock and quickly fucking into Hiram, burying his cock deep in his ass and letting loose a heady moan, the tightness and the heat making his knees weak.

“You feel so fucking good.” Ferris whispered as he fell into a rhythm, one hand gripped tight on Hiram’s hip, the other pressing into the meat of his thigh. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

“I might have an idea.” Hiram spit out through gritted teeth, mouth falling open in a gasp as Ferris angled his hips to drag his cock along what felt like every bundle of nerves in Hiram’s body.

“There, Ferris, please.” And the combination of his name and please had Ferris weak and longing to satisfy, fucking into Hiram recklessly, soft desperate moans setting Ferris’s pace.

Ferris felt it when Hiram came, his body twisting and tightening, pent up release spattering hotly against his stomach. It only took a few strokes more before Ferris hit his peak, burying himself as deep as possible as he came, muffling his own low groan against Hiram’s shoulder.

“That was…” Ferris trailed off, still coming down from his high and not able to find accurate words to express himself; he hoped he could show how he felt instead, kissing Hiram deeply, his arms wrapping snugly around his chest. But then Ferris ruined the moment, hiding his smile against Hiram’s neck as he suddenly settled the entirety of his weight on top of him.

“You’re too fucking heavy, off!” Hiram wheezed, struggling fruitlessly underneath Ferris’s bulk. Ferris just laughed, kissing him again before rolling off to the side and pulling Hiram against him, arm around his shoulder. Hiram accepted the position without complaining, fingers stroking absently along Ferris’s ribcage as he caught his breath.

“I want to sleep next to you tonight.” Ferris mumbled against Hiram’s temple, lifting his free hand in search of Hiram’s. A moment later Hiram linked their fingers, his thumb roughly stroking the valley of Ferris’s palm.

“Only as long as it’s next to me and not on top of me.”

…

They were still tangled together when an alert sounded from Hiram’s computer in the early hours of the next morning. With an unhappy groan Hiram slowly pulled away, crossing the room to check the message while Ferris watched from his spot, stretched out catlike beneath the sheets. Ferris rest his eyes and was almost back to sleep when he heard Hiram’s low surprised laughter and the squeak of the chair as he leaned back from the screen.

“What’s so funny?”

“My informant finally managed to send the last bit of code to translate the message. Apparently this message was archived along with others as ‘back-up plans’. In a worst case scenario, like what happened to Amber Heights before, they would use these plans to reestablish their faction at a different location on planet. So I’m not happy they have an actual written plan detailing how they’d commandeer my tower, but it seems they also had similar plans written for Fallbrook, Cascadia, and the boarst factory of all places.” Hiram rose from the chair, returning to stand in front of the bed. Ferris sat up, swinging his feet over the edge and pulling Hiram between his knees. “So it seems I’m not actually in any immediate danger.”

“So you didn’t need me after all?”

“I wouldn’t say I don’t need,” Hiram trailed off when Ferris laid his head against his stomach, lips pressed to the soft skin. Hiram brought up a hand, cradling Ferris’s head, fingers gripped in his hair and holding him close. “You set my mind at ease by being here, so that’s something.”

“You know I still don’t get that if you just needed someone to grab a few lines of code to finish downloading the whole message why didn’t you just send me and the crew? Max is great with that sort of stuff and I basically have the run of their entire compound, they wouldn’t have suspected a thing. It would have saved you a couple days of worry.” Ferris pressed a couple hurried kisses against Hiram’s hipbone. “Not that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy being here.”

Hiram ran his fingers through Ferris’s hair, smoothing back the wild locks as he stood before him. “It crossed my mind. I told you, you were the backup plan. But it occurred to me I’d rather have someone else do the dirty work and keep you here instead.”

Ferris’s jaw dropped before his expression transformed into a sly grin. “You wanted this to happen?” He pulled Hiram roughly down onto his lap, pressing needy kisses to the space below his ear. “I can’t believe it, how did you even know I was interested?”

“You’re about as subtle as a hammer to the head.” Hearing that, Ferris pinched his side.

“What? You know it hurts me that you think I’m incapable of finding out information on you.”

Another pinch.

“Alright, fine. The last time she dropped off supplies I may have asked Nyoka about you as well. I was incredibly discreet and vague about my intentions, but she just laughed in my face when I did.” Hiram pulled a face, remembering. “So I thought that was a solid indication to not bother but then about an hour before you arrived here she sent a message that said ‘don’t fuck this up’ so I took that as a promising sign.”

“Oh. Well she laughed in my face, too. Seems like she knew more than she let on. If I had any idea this was mutual I would have put you over my shoulder and taken you to bed a hell of a lot sooner.” Ferris wrapped his arms around Hiram’s waist to complement his point, squeezing until he yelped in complaint.

“I still can’t believe you wanted me, too.” Ferris mumbled, still amazed, nuzzling against the hollow of Hiram’s neck.

“It’s not that surprising. I mean I am currently sitting naked in your lap.” Hiram argued, fingers skimming up the shorn dark hair behind Ferris’s ears to grip the longer strands at the top. “You managed to worm your way into my brain. After you left I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Day or night it made no difference. Unfortunately it made it increasingly difficult to do work and therefore incredibly annoying.”

Ferris laughed against Hiram’s pulse, hot breath sending a tremor down Hiram’s spine. He subconsciously tilted his head to give Ferris better access to the soft stretch of skin below his jaw. “I’m impressed I managed to annoy you even while on another planet.”

“One of your many talents I’ve discovered.”

Ferris rested his forehead on the juncture of Hiram’s neck and shoulder, his voice hesitant as he spoke.

“So I was thinking, I know you don’t like leaving the tower, so next time I’m on Monarch maybe we could watch one of those stupid serials together or I could bring dinner here. I happen to know a chef who makes a mean casserole; I could probably even get him to wash his hands before he makes it, too.”

Hiram stilled beneath Ferris’s touch. “Are you...asking me on a date?”

Ferris pulled back, giving one of his best disarming grins. “Well yeah, I just thought—” Then his face fell as another thought occurred to him. “Unless, was this a one time thing? Shit, how am I so bad at reading situations?”

Ferris sighed, dropping his gaze to try to hide his disappointment, his hands falling away from Hiram’s sides. There was a beat of silence before Hiram scoffed, his voice chiding Ferris.

“Don’t be so dramatic, it was a question.” Hiram tipped Ferris’s head back up and kissed the corner of his mouth sweetly, which was wholly unexpected coming from Hiram. “I was just surprised, I don’t exactly get asked out. Ever. Which quite frankly has never been a problem; but if it’s you,” Hiram trailed off pressing his lips to the scruff of stubble on Ferris’s jaw, nibbling a path to his ear.

“If it’s you,” Hiram repeated, voice dropping low and sultry. “I can see myself getting used to this.”

Ferris twisted, dumping Hiram back on the bed and kissing his way up his neck, Ferris’s heart beating heavily behind his ribs. Ferris flashed a renewed smile as he returned the tender kiss Hiram had given him, the action hot and filthy when paired with the eager press of Ferris’s hard cock against Hiram’s inner thigh.

“Get used to dating me or get used to being fucked into the mattress by me? Please say both.”

“Hmm, only if I get exclusive rights to both.”

“Done.” Ferris sealed the promise with another kiss, then tumbled them both into the sheets, his hands finding Hiram’s and linking them together tight.

...

With the (non)situation with the Iconoclasts resolved, Ferris left that afternoon, anticipating that before he could leave the planet and resume his mission he’d need to track down and recover his crew. Hiram walked him to the base of the station, leaning against the railing as Ferris slung his bag over his shoulder and automatically reloaded and sighted-in his rifle.

“I’ll miss you.” Ferris said, his voice genuine as he leaned next to Hiram, staring out over the technicolor landscape of Monarch.

“Then don’t stay away too long.” After the words left Hiram’s mouth he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Ugh what’s happened to me, actually inviting someone back to my home of my own free will. You’ve ruined me.”

Ferris slung his arm over Hiram’s shoulders, pulling him close. “You think that’s bad, if our date goes well I’m going to ask you to be my boyfriend so you’ve got that to look forward to.”

Hiram’s cheeks darkened in embarrassment but he must not have hated the idea as he turned his face against Ferris’s neck, pressing a few fleeting kisses against his collarbone.

“Well I should be off.” Ferris turned, raising his hand and tilting Hiram’s chin to look in his eyes. “If you get lonely you can always message me. Just know my ship reads all my mail so if you send anything dirty she’s going to make things incredibly awkward for me by asking about it. But also know I am very willing to deal with that as long as you send something really fucking filthy.”

Hiram rolled his eyes again but the corners of his mouth were turned up despite himself.

“I’ll consider it.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” And Ferris leaned down to kiss him one final time, his thumb stroking Hiram’s cheek reverently. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Then Ferris was off, heading down the mountainside, the sound of staccato rifle fire echoing and fading with his descent.

...

ADA greeted Ferris as he climbed back onto the Unreliable, stashing his bag and gun in a locker before he entered the cockpit.

“It’s good to see you, captain. How did your mission go? I suspect successfully since Hiram Blythe did not expire.”

“Yes, it wasn’t what I expected since Hiram wasn’t actually in any immediate danger, but everything went well. In fact, better than well.”

“So you were well compensated?”

“Yes. Wait, no. Shit, he didn’t pay me!”

A loud burst of laughter from behind him made Ferris spin his chair in surprise. Nyoka was leaned against the doorframe, shit-eating grin plastered on her face.

“Now what could have happened between you two to make you forget to demand payment?” She hummed, tapping her finger against her cheek. “Now this is a mystery I am incredibly interested in solving. So unless you want me to ask the rest of the crew their theories, spill it.”

“Yes captain, I am also curious about what you have to ‘spill’ since you are not currently holding a beverage.”

“Figure of speech, ADA.” Nyoka provided helpfully, still staring at Ferris expectantly.

Ferris sighed, crossing his arms. “Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to? Hiram told me you stonewalled him when he tried to talk to you before. And I know about the message you sent him when we landed.”

“Yes but I want details. See I always assumed Hiram was a bit of a prude, with that ice queen personality, but from the way you swaggered onto the ship I’m thinking you went a little further than holding hands and whispering sweet nothings.”

Ferris rolled his eyes, spinning back toward ADA’s console. “What do I have to say to get you off my back? I have a feeling you’ll regret it if I really do give you the details. Might be more than you want to know.”

Nyoka gasped. “First off cap, there is never a situation where I don’t want to know all the juicy details. Never. And secondly, you saying that is basically a confession in itself and I can’t believe it. That prickly, anti-social bastard fucks on the first date. It’s always the quiet, repressed types that surprise you, isn’t it?”

Ferris groaned, sliding back in his chair and leaning his head far enough back to see Nyoka upside down. “It wasn’t a date,” Ferris corrected. “But since you’re so invested you can know that next time I’m on Monarch we’re planning a, uh, legitimate date.”

“Really? Sounds like all this may be serious. In that case, great. I’ve never met anyone more in need of getting laid than Hiram, and with all the responsibility of the colony on your shoulders you could use the chance to unwind, too.”

Ferris just stared upside down.

“So I take it this means we’ll be visiting Monarch more often? In that case I have to send a few messages. Don’t mind me.” Nyoka gave a wink and was out the door; Ferris wasn’t sure what sort of business she was conducting and at this point he just preferred to be left out of it.

Ferris sighed, tilting his head up to see ADA. “So where’s the rest of the crew? Please tell me they are in or around the ship.”

“Crew members Max and Parvati are in their rooms and have been since this morning. Crew members Ellie and Felix have yet to return from their stay in Fallbrook. I have no further information on their whereabouts.”

Ferris groaned again, face dropping to his palms. “Okay, ADA, thanks. Would you ask Max and Parvati to suit up and meet me at the door? I could use the help finding them.”

“Of course, captain.”

…

Ferris climbed the stairs slowly to his room, feeling his exhaustion deep in his bones. They had found Ellie and Felix in lockdown in one of Catherine’s somewhat secret prisons below Fallbrook. Although they both swore up and down that they hadn’t been cheating in a high stakes poker tournament, they couldn’t convince Catherine (or really, Ferris either) of such and had spent the last night and a half keeping each other company in a twelve by twelve cell. Ferris broke them out quietly, deciding to forgo the negotiations this time and just let Catherine simmer down before returning to Fallbrook anytime soon to explain himself.

Now that the entire crew was back on the Unreliable their course was re-set for Byzantine, and Ferris felt a current course beneath his skin, some sixth sense feeling that he was closing in on the end of resolving his mission for Phineas. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about the upcoming resolution or what his part would be in it, but for the sake of his fellow colonists he tried to keep his thoughts positive.

After crossing the threshold of his room, Ferris stripped out of his jacket, tossing it on the bed before falling heavily into the chair at his desk. He spun a few times before kicking his feet up on the desk, leaning back until the chair groaned in protest.

“How long until we’re in Byzantine’s orbit?”

“Seventeen hours and fourteen minutes, captain.”

“I suppose that’s plenty of time to catch up on some sleep, hmm?”

“Yes, that is a valid suggestion. Before that though, you should be aware you have a new message.”

Ferris leaned up, adjusting his feet as he reached over to click into his message logs, curiosity piqued.

“Not as urgent as the last message I hope?”

“It does not appear that way. Although the message is once again from Hiram Blythe it does not seem to indicate distress.”

Ferris couldn’t help the broad grin that split his face or the way his heart sped up. It hadn’t been an entire day and Hiram had already messaged him, had thought about Ferris and missed him enough to sit down and compose a message only a few scant hours after he’d left.

Ferris took it as a very good sign.

“Although,” ADA continued. “There was one section of the message that puzzled me. When Hiram writes he want to ‘ride you all fucking night’ what is he referring to? You are neither a vehicle nor a beast meant to be ridden. Unless...” ADA hummed as she processed the new information.

“It’s exactly what you think, ADA.” Ferris mumbled, trying not to laugh.

“In that case, perhaps I will see what crew member Felix is doing so you may read your message in peace.”

“That’d be great, ADA.” Ferris didn’t think it was possible for an AI to be flustered, but ADA went silent nonetheless, leaving Ferris alone with the ever present quiet hum of the ship to read his message to.

_Ferris-_

_It occurred to me you left without being paid for your services. I must have had other more pressing matters on my mind, because I would never purposely forget to pay a debt. Although it seemed to have slipped your mind as well which I will simply consider a boost to my ego. Anyway, the bits are set aside and perhaps they’ll be another reason to entice you to return to Monarch soon._

_But I’ll be selfish in my hopes that the main reason you return is to fulfill your promise of another night spent with me._

_. . ._

_Ugh that sounds so trite, I’m so much better at talking than writing, at least then I don’t overthink every single word. No matter, you get the gist of what I’m trying to say. If not I’ll say it in simple enough terms even your ship should understand: next time you visit Monarch, you belong to me for the evening. Dinner, serials, I want it all and then I want to ride you all fucking night._

_You’ve created a monster, captain, you’d best take responsibility._

_-Hiram_

Ferris felt the warmth flood into his cheeks and groin when he finished reading the message. Hiram did have a certain way with words, and it left Ferris breathless and wanting and unable to wipe the smile from his face.

Instead of immediately answering, Ferris stared out his window for a long while, thinking on how only in the course of a couple days his life had changed yet again. Ferris felt his head spin from the whiplash of being thrown recklessly to every dangerous corner of the solar system, but the unexpected potential of Hiram being a constant in his life made Ferris’s thoughts turn warm and hopeful.

So he spun back to his computer console, read the message once more, and wrote his reply. He’d never been particularly adept at writing, but he hoped his words could capture a sliver of the excitement that burned through his veins and the way his body ached in memory of Hiram’s touch.

_Hiram-_

_You should know you’re making it very difficult to concentrate on this mission._

_Every time I close my eyes I think about you under me, about the sounds you made and how fucking good you felt. You think you had it bad being distracted while working in your tower? I’m worried about getting distracted when I have a half-ton raptodon breathing down my neck._

_But even so, I wouldn’t change a single thing, I like having you on my mind._

_Although, not going to lie, I’m a little worried about what’ll happen if I get a hard-on while wearing armor. Not a lot of room in the cockpit if you get my drift._

_. . ._

_Quit it, I know you’re rolling your eyes._

_. . ._

_Just…know that I’m thinking about you and I’m counting down the time until I can see you again._

_Nothing could keep me from you._

_-Ferris_


End file.
